Celebrity news from Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

Tag Archives: Nicollette Sheridan

There was a time when Nicollette Sheridan’s court battle against “Desperate Housewives” creator Marc Cherry and ABC would have meant career suicide. The blond bombshell has branded herself as a troublemaker. She’s shown an edgy, prickly side on the witness stand. She’s invited scrutiny from the public and the media — the kind of scrutiny that involves repeated references to her 48 years of age and to her career having faded before being revitalized in 2004 by her “Desperate Housewives” role of Edie Britt.

Yes, there was a time we would have expected her to be expelled by the industry over this fight — relegated to the dinner theater circuit like Suzanne Somers when she fell from network grace after tiffing with “Three’s Company” over her demand for a 500 per cent pay raise and a piece of the show decades ago. There would be no win for Sheridan’s career, whether or not she wins some or all of the $20 million she’s aiming to get following her claims of assault against Cherry and subsequent wrongful termination. (Cherry’s jovial quips eliciting laughter from the jury this week — not a good sign.)

However, this is 2012, when good things happen to bad boys and girls. Charlie Sheen’s wanton carryings on, his beating up of women, his drug use, his arrests, his widely-booed Violent Torpedo of Truth stage show and all his internet strangeness got him a much-anticipated new FX TV series, “Anger Management.” Recent morgue worker Lindsay Lohan’s “Saturday Night Live” guest-hosting stint last weekend garnered the show its second highest ratings of the season. Also in the news is “Jersey Shore” low-life Snooki, famous for stumbling around intoxicated in public and so forth; as reports of her pregnancy swirl through the media, she sports a half-million-dollar engagement ring.

Nicollette, in fact, might not be bad enough. She’s going to need to step up her game and do more than show exasperation. She did slap her attorney, but only as a demonstration of what she says Cherry did to her. Maybe she should slap him for real, and get rid of those sedate dark courtroom clothes. Show cleavage. Show disrespect. Show up drunk. Have a wardrobe malfunction on the courthouse steps. Take a tip from Lindsay, who cleverly painted “f— you” on one of her fingernails knowing the cameras followed her every move as a defendant. It might not be too late for a “Mark Cherry Sucks” tattoo in an eye-catching spot, for example.

If Nicollette and/or her handlers are clever enough to use all this attention to burnish her brand as a still-hot-looking diva cougar, maybe it could actually help her career. Maybe there will be a new show in it for her. At the very least, surely Donald Trump would save a seat for her in his “Celebrity Apprentice” board room.

What is it with Nicollette Sheridan’s exes doing “Dancing With the Stars”? First it was Harry Hamlin, now Michael Bolton.

“Curious, isn’t it? I wish him luck,” says the former “Desperate Housewives” star.

Would she ever want to be on “Dancing With the Stars’?

“No.” She laughs.

Right now, Nicollette has lots of other things on her mind, including starting a yet-to-be-announced romantic comedy movie within the next few weeks. “I can’t say anything about it yet,” she says. Is it contemporary? “It is contemporary.” What’s her character like? “She’s a very smart, benevolent human being — the antithesis of my character on ‘Desperate Housewives.’ It’s a feel-good movie. But I can’t say more.”

Nicollette, in fact, is here to talk guide dogs, and her latest role – as spokesperson for the guide dog fundraiser being put on by Van Patten’s Natural Balance Pet Foods, Petco and other pet stores. When pet owners purchase a bag of dog food with her picture on it, a dollar goes to help guide dog organizations across the country.

Sure, she’s done TV, films, red carpets and magazine covers, but now Nicollette is part of a really elite group – celebrities whose pictures appear on bags of dog food. She laughs at the idea, but she’s sincerely happy to be doing her part. This month is National Guide Dog Month, after all, in case you weren’t aware.

How did she get involved?

“The Van Pattens have been family friends for many years and they told me what they were doing with National Guide Dog Month. I was so moved, I couldn’t wait to jump in and see what I could do to help raise awareness,” she says. According to the actress, it takes two years and roughly $40,000 to train a guide dog, “and so many people can’t afford that. To help this work continue, to help people have these companions and guides – it can make such a huge difference in people’s lives.”

Nicollette’s own dog, five-year-old Oliver, is a Golden Retriever, a breed often used for guide dogs. “He’s the love of my life,” she says. “I don’t go anywhere without him.”

And, you’re not going to find him turning up on “Dancing With the Stars.”